Sox hope yellow, blue bring some luck
The Boston Yellow Sox will make their 2024 debut at Fenway Park this weekend, wearing their yellowand-blue uniforms for all three games against the Los Angeles Angels.
Since becoming one of the inaugural City Connect teams in 2021, it’s become something of an annual tradition for the Sox to wear them over the weekend leading up to Marathon Monday. The yellowand- blue color- way is a tribute to the annual race, the 2013 Marathon Bombing, and Oneboston Day, but they can’t wear them day of, as the race coincides with Jackie Robinson Day, when all of Major League Baseball wears uniforms with No. 42. ( The Red Sox will be in their home whites on Monday.)
Fortunately, the City Connects arrived in time, which hasn’t been the case for other teams. While the Philadelphia Phillies introduced their City Connect uniforms last week, at least five other teams are still missing their City Connects, alternates, or some mismatched combination of the two.
The Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers usually wear their City Connects on Friday nights, but Fanatics hadn’t delivered them in time for last week’s game. Last week, the Minnesota
Twins had their Twin Cities alternate jerseys, but not the coordinating pants. When a fan responded to a Seattle Mariners post on X (formerly Twitter) about why they were wearing their home whites instead of their traditional Sunday cream color-way for the March 31 series finale with the Sox, the team replied, “They haven’t been delivered yet.” Though Fanatics guaranteed final delivery no later than May 7, the St. Louis Post-dispatch reported that the Cardinals don’t expect to have their ivory home alternates or victory blues until June.
In statements to various outlets, Fanatics both claimed teams should’ve expected delays and disputed that they’re behind schedule on production and delivery.
“In early December, each MLB Club was given shipping windows and asked to prioritize their on-field uniform needs to be delivered on specific dates between March 18 and mid- May,” the company told USA TODAY. “The different delivery dates are intentional given that each player has parts of their uniform customized during Spring Training. Once those measurements are taken and sent back to the facility, there are different lead times to make the jerseys and pants, which inform how teams prioritize their uniform deliveries. This is the
normal process each season.
“Uniforms prioritized in the first two ship windows this season — March 18 and April 1 — have already been delivered on-time or early. The remaining jerseys that are due to teams in the final prioritized shipping windows, between now and mid-may, are on track to be delivered early and ahead of schedule, by April 23. This is aligned with when teams receive the bulk of their jerseys each season based on the manufacturing process after Spring Training.”
That teams have scram
bled to make last-minute changes tells a different story.
It would be less of an issue if not for the litany of other uniform-related problems this year. The ensembles are made of a different fabric, Vapor Premier. Nike claimed the material is more moisture- wicking, but players are visibly sweating through it. Teams have also discovered their away jerseys and pants are mismatched shades of grey. Players’ names are significantly smaller on the backs of their jerseys, and several said that the new pants don’t fit properly.
Several players on the Sox and around the league have noted that the quality of this year’s uniforms is lower than in past years, though some feel more strongly about the changes than others.
“I can’t complain,” one Sox player told the Herald during spring training, “but they are very thin.”
For others though, it’s about what an MLB uniform represents. Or used to.
“In my opinion, they’re not big-league jerseys.” Detroit Tigers pitcher Andrew Chafin told The Athletic.
“Wearing an MLB uniform used to mean something, you put it on and you knew you’d really made it,” another Sox player told the Herald this week. “Now it just feels like a cheap knockoff.”
Campbell to IL, Dalbec called up
After allowing nine runs over two nights to the Baltimore Orioles, the Red Sox have placed right-hander Isaiah Campbell on the 15day injured list with a right shoulder impingement.
Infielder Bobby Dalbec is being called up from Triple-a to fill his spot on the roster.
Dalbec is expected to help bolster the Red Sox infield depth given the recent injuries to Rafael Devers and Romy Gonzalez. Neither of those players are expected to go on the injured list, with Red Sox manager Alex Cora saying Rafael Devers should be back in the lineup Saturday after sitting his second straight game on Friday.
Gonzalez (sore wrist) is feeling better but still not great, Cora said, and Nick Pivetta (right elbow flexor strain) is scheduled to begin playing catch on Saturday. Vaughn Grissom ( left hamstring strain) began his rehab assignment with the Worcester Red Sox and Rob Refsnyder ( broken toe) is expected to be back in the lineup for the Woosox again on Saturday.